By Nick Harris

The Gaucho Football Federation has announced the postponement of the next round of championship matches after the fire in Santa Maria killed hundreds of people

The third round of fixtures in the Campeonato Gaucho has been postponed following a fire in a Santa Maria nightclub that killed at least 245 people.

The Gaucho Football Federation has said that the new dates for the cancelled matches would be announced early next week, with both of the region's major sides, Gremio and Internacional, who were originally due to have played on the Sunday, sharing their condolences.

Reports suggest the fire is believed to have been caused by fireworks let off by a band that was performing in the club, with estimates from the local media indicating as many as 500 people were in the place at the time.

Firefighters have confirmed that the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation or from being crushed, with reports saying that sound proofing in the building caught fire, leading to toxic smoke quickly filling the club.